Rare, tempting items with imperfections

NLevine

Member
Just curious to hear people's thoughts on the issue of rare, tempting items that have imperfections.

Recently I came across a #13 Wagner 1063. As y'all know, 13s.....they're basically snow leopards. Sure they exist in the wild but they are so rare that you might not ever see one in real life. Well the one I found had a slight wobble to it, making it far less attractive to me. The guy only wanted $120 for it...which isn't bad as far a 13's go, but it had a wobble so i left it there.

What do you guys think? Would you have gone for it? Would you go for a very rare pan if it had a slight wobble or hairline crack? To me, the answer is no but i'm always tempted. Just curious what everyone else has to say.
 
I would say on average, newer collectors are more tolerant of flaws than older ones are. I guess over time excitement becomes more tempered by shrewdness. Just an opinion.
 
I probably would have bought it, but I don't really collect for sheer value at all, only to use them.
 
I would say on average, newer collectors are more tolerant of flaws than older ones are. I guess over time excitement becomes more tempered by shrewdness. Just an opinion.

I would agree. Since I'm a newer collector, I know I have grabbed stuff the older collectors would never consider buying.

As for the #13, am I correct in assuming the larger the skillet the harder it is to find one with zero wobble? Also, since a #13 would not work well on my stove, I would probably only use it to make pizzas in my oven ... therefore, a slight wobble would not be a problem.
 
I'd pass. Too large for stovetop use. Pizza is better baked on a stone. There won't be any spinners as part of my estate. Warped, cracked and damaged pieces are seldom, if ever a good investment at any price.

Hilditch
 
Well it depends on what you want to do with it. If you have no use for it but it is in good condition with only a credit card or less of wobble you can always sell it to support the purchase of other CI pieces that you really want. I have seen clean Wagner #13s with a slight wobble sell for between $200 to $300. With an $80 - $180 profit you can buy more than a few CI pans that you really want. Like you said, you don't find many of these in the wild.
 
I look at these items as a "trade opportunity". I do more trading than buying. So if I saw/see/seen a 13 with imperfections at that price, I would buy it and place it in my trade corner.
 
I forgot about the knack for trading that is in Tennessee where a guy can turn a pencil into a good truck over time. If I had that expertise, I’d buy it.

Hilditch
 
As a user and not a collector it would depend on whether or not it was useful to me. I've run across several cool and rarer pieces that I enjoyed holding in my hands and admiring but had no intention of taking home with me. If I were a collector...well that's the nature of the word. A pan that size with no warping at all is probably more rare than the pan itself. I'm sure it exists though somewhere.
 
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